Department for Transport

High Speed Trains

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which high-speed rail projects are planned to commence in 2015.

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which high-speed rail projects are planned to be completed in 2015.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In 2015 we expect the High Speed Rail (London-West Midlands) Bill for HS2 Phase One to continue its progress through Parliament. We will continue to review and refine proposals for the Phase Two route from West Midlands to Manchester, Leeds and beyond to ensure they bring the best solution in terms of connectivity and economic growth for the regions. Any further announcements and decisions on the Phase Two route are currently expected to be made in 2015 but could come later. It is also expected that in 2015 we will commence ground investigation works enabled by the HS2 Preparation Bill (2013).

Roads: Accidents

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many fatal road traffic accidents were caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel in each of the last three years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department does not collect information specifically on drivers falling asleep at the wheel. However, the Department does hold information on the number of accidents where the attending police officer judged that driver fatigue contributed to the cause of the accident. The table below provides the number of fatal road traffic accidents that were reported to the police in which at least one driver was allocated the contributory factor of fatigue for 2011 to 2013. YearNumber of fatal accidents201180201259201368

Railways

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to improve signalling on the railway between (a) Exeter and Plymouth and (b) Reading and Exeter; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of improved signalling on those routes.

Claire Perry: Signal failures are one of the biggest causes of delays on the network. For that reason, Network Rail has an extensive programme underway to improve both the standard and reliability of signalling across the national network. The Western Route is gradually benefitting from transfer of signalling to a single control centre in Didcot, and this process will eventually encompass the entire route, including those stretches mentioned by my Hon Friend. This will allow a faster and better coordinated response to delays across the route. My Hon Friend will also be aware of the very large investment which is being made by Network Rail, Cornwall Council and others into the Totnes-Penzance resignalling scheme, which will radically improve the train flow and reliability. It will do this by allowing bidirectional running on the line, meaning that maintenance and disruption can be managed vastly more effectively. Further details of Network Rail’s plans can be found at the links below. These documents also provide information on the benefits of improved signalling: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/publications/strategic-business-plan-for cp5/ http://www.networkrail.co.uk/publications/delivery-plans/control-period-5/cp5-delivery-plan/

Transport: Noise

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what limits are in place in relation to noise from (a) aircraft and (b) motor vehicles.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Civil aircraft using UK airports are subject to international noise certification standards. These are set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and applied at the time of manufacture. In addition some airports may have restrictions in place to limit noise, which will be set out in their Noise Action Plans. The limit in place in relation to noise for modern passenger cars is 74 decibels. For motorcycles it is between 75 and 80 decibels depending on the size of the machine. For large buses and coaches the limit is between 78 and 80 decibels. For small buses and light goods vehicles it is between 76 and 77 decibels and for heavy goods vehicles the limit is between 77 and 80 decibels. These figures are all measured using a microphone fixed 7.5 metres from the line along which the vehicle is travelling.

Motor Vehicles: Noise

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what examples his Department holds of best practice in respect of work carried out to reduce traffic noise for residents living alongside main roads.

Mr John Hayes: Best practice measures that can be used to reduce road noise for residents living alongside the strategic road network are set out in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges HD213/11. Low noise surfacing can be installed on new roads or when replacing existing worn out surfaces. Noise mitigation can be incorporated into the design of new roads by routeing away from properties where practicable and using cuttings and other land forms to act as noise barriers. Noise barriers, made from a wide variety of materials are also used to reduce road noise.

Heathrow Airport

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had on the ring-fencing of slots for domestic air services to Heathrow Airport in the event of a third runway being opened at that airport with (a) Heathrow Airport, (b) the Airports Commission, (c) ACL and (d) devolved and regional bodies.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Secretary of State for Transport has had no discussions with Heathrow Airport, the Airports Commission, the slot co-ordinator ACL, or devolved or regional bodies concerning the ring-fencing of slots for domestic air services to London Heathrow Airport in the event of a third runway being opened at the airport.

Railways: Woking

Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many seats are available on trains from Woking to London Waterloo during morning weekday peak hours.

Claire Perry: There were 29,200 seats on services from Woking arriving at London Waterloo in the 3 hour morning peak (7-10am) on a typical weekday in autumn 2013, the most recent period that statistics are available for.

South West Trains

Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much was paid by Network Rail to South West Trains because of delays to train services of (a) 15 to 30, (b) 30 to 60 and (c) 60 minutes or more in each of the last three years.

Claire Perry: This information is not held by the Department. Payments for delays and unplanned disruption are contracted between the companies through Schedule 8 of the Track Access Agreement, governed by the Office of Rail Regulation.

South West Trains

Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will require South West Trains to offer compensation to passengers delayed by more than 30 minutes whilst travelling on its trains.

Claire Perry: South West Trains current Passenger’s Charter will apply for the remainder of the current franchise. We are currently looking at the levels of compensation to be offered to passengers for the next contract.

South Western Railway Line

Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many bridges are located over the Wessex Route rail line between (a) Basingstoke and Woking and (b) Woking and London Waterloo; and how many of those bridges are less than 16 feet clear from the ground.

Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many tunnels are located on the Wessex Route rail line between (a) Basingstoke and Woking and (b) Woking and London Waterloo; and how many of those tunnels are less than 16 feet in height.

Claire Perry: The Department does not hold this information, which is an operational matter for Network Rail.

Railways: Compensation

Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of rail passengers are able to claim compensation for delays to rail journeys of 30 to 60 minutes.

Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which train operators offer compensation to passengers travelling on services delayed by (a) 30 to 60 minutes and (b) 60 minutes or longer.

Claire Perry: The following Train Operating Companies (TOCs) provide 50% compensation of the fare paid for the journey to all passengers delayed between 30 minutes and 59 minutes 59 seconds, and 100% compensation for delays of 60 minutes or longer:Southeastern, Southern, East Coast, London Midland, CrossCountry, East Midlands Trains, Govia Thameslink Railway, Abellio Greater Anglia, Chiltern Railways, Virgin Trains, c2c On the following TOCs, passengers with season tickets valid between 1 month and 1 year are compensated based on the previous year’s performance versus pre-defined trigger levels for Punctuality or Reliability and are not entitled to claim compensation for individual delays. Compensation is available to passengers with single, return and weekly season tickets as shown:- Arriva Trains Wales, 20% for delays of 30 – 59 minutes, 100% for delays of 60 minutes or longer- First Great Western: 100% for delays of 60 minutes or longer (High Speed services);50% for delays of 60 minutes or longer on journeys of 60 minutes or more, and 50% for delays of 30 minutes or longer on journeys of less than 60 minutes (former First Great Western Link services);50% for delays of 60 – 119 minutes, 100% for delays of 120 minutes or longer (former Wessex services),- First TransPennine Express: 100% for delays of longer than 30 minutes- Northern: 50% for delays of 60 minutes or longer- South West Trains: 100% for delays of 60 minutes or longer except for Island Line where 100% for delays of longer than 30 minutes The proportion of total passengers eligible to claim compensation for delays of 30 to 60 minutes is not known, but given that compensation for delays from 30 minutes applies on the majority of TOCs, including many of the larger operators, it will be the majority.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Planning Permission: Appeals

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many planning appeals relating to development on green belt land have been recovered for a decision by the Secretary of State in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: A recovery entails a planning appeal decision being made directly by Planning Ministers, rather than planning inspectors on behalf of the Secretary of State. 15 appeals were recovered in 2010, 20 in 2011, 55 in 2012, 45 in 2013 and 23 in 2014. As outlined in previous Written Ministerial Statements, the recovery criteria was intentionally changed to consider recovering more appeals, following changes made to planning policy and guidance to increase protection of the Green Belt.

Planning Permission: Appeals

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, from which local authorities planning appeals were recovered in 2014.

Brandon Lewis: A planning recovery entails the appeal being decided by Ministers directly, rather than the Planning Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State. A list is attached. As I noted in my answer of 16 January 2015, PQ UIN 220298, in 2013-14, just 0.9% of planning and enforcement appeals were decided by Ministers.



List of Local Authorities - Planning Appeals 
(Word Document, 20.49 KB)

Planning Permission: Appeals

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many planning appeals have been recovered from local authorities which have no local plan or whose plan (a) dates from earlier than 2004 and (b) is not compliant with the National Planning Policy Framework; and how many such appeals resulted in a refusal decision.

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many planning appeals have been recovered from local authorities which have an adopted local plan which (a) dates from later than 2004 and (b) is compliant with the National Planning Policy Framework; and how many such appeals resulted in a refusal decision.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to her today to PQ UIN 220269 which lists the local authorities in which appeals were recovered in the last year. The Planning Inspectorate maintains a national database of Local Plan progress, which is regularly updated. The data can be found at:http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/planning/planningsystem/localplans However, I would remind the hon. Member that appeals are recovered in line with the published recovery criteria; the status of the Local Plan itself may be totally unconnected to the decision to recover. In turn, planning appeal decisions must be taken in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Appeal decisions will thus depend on the local circumstances of each individual case. In that context, I have not undertaken a detailed analysis of the underlying reasons for recovered appeal decisions, and cursory comparisons are likely to be misleading.

Religious Hatred

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent steps the Government has taken to tackle Islamophobia.

Stephen Williams: This Government has done more than any other to tackle anti-Muslim hatred which includes:setting up the first ever cross-government working group on anti-Muslim Hatred;provided start-up funding to the Tell MAMA initiative to record incidents and support victims of anti-Muslim hatred;establishing a UK Srebrenica Memorial Day which recognises the fatal consequences of hatred and division;running social media workshops to build the capacity of community organisations to use social media effectively;holding 8 integration roadshows with communities to find out what more Government can do to integrate communities and tackle anti-Muslim hatred;following the attacks in Paris, the my rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State (Eric Pickles) and my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, the Noble Lord Ahmad wrote on 16 January to mosques across England reassuring them of Government help if they experience anti-Muslim hatred;the Department has also assured faith and community leaders of its support to their commendable efforts to foster mutual understanding and shared respect and is also in close contact with the Police who are reassuring communities and providing protective security advice and guidance.

Housing: Energy

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Written Statement of 13 March 2014, Official Report, columns 32-4WS, on building regulations, whether local authorities will remain able to impose reasonable requirements for a proportion of energy used in development to be energy from renewable energy sources generated on-site.

Stephen Williams: The Housing Standards Review consultation set out the Government's intention to introduce, through Building Regulations, the zero carbon homes standard from 2016. This will include an energy performance standard for on-site measures equivalent to the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4, and a national framework for off-site carbon abatement measures (allowable solutions). The Government expects that any local policies setting requirements for a proportion of energy used in residential development to be from renewable energy sources generated on site to be applied in a way consistent with this approach. The consultation closed on 7 November 2014 and the Government is analysing the responses and will announce its conclusions in due course.

Property Development

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many injunctions against unauthorised developments were pursued by local authorities in each year since 2005.

Brandon Lewis: The numbers of enforcement injunctions granted and refused can be found in the Government statistical tables: Table P127: district planning authorities - enforcement action and Table P145: 'county matters' planning authorities - enforcement action on the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-planning-application-statistics These tables contain information from 2004-05 to September 2014 (latest figures available).As we stated in our departmental press release of 10 January 2015, on the new Planning Enforcement Fund, whilst most planning breaches are resolved without use of the courts, over the last 10 years local planning authorities in England have issued an average of 60 injunctions a year. These are typically for serious breaches of planning rules.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Western Sahara

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on reports made to the UN by Morocco as required of an administering power of Western Sahara.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Morocco is not listed by the UN as the administering Power of Western Sahara and has not therefore transmitted information on the territory in accordance with Article 73e of the charter of the UN.

Bahrain

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to government officials in Bahrain on the stripping of Bahraini nationality from Bahrainis who are not dual nationals, for allegedly damaging state security.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have raised repeatedly with the Government of Bahrain its decision to withdraw citizenship from 31 individuals in 2012. We encourage the authorities to conduct full and transparent investigations into those accused of crimes and to ensure that individuals are given a right of appeal against citizenship deprivation decisions.

Bahrain

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with government officials in Bahrain about a future visit by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK encourages the government of Bahrain to agree a new date for a visit by the Special Rapporteur for Torture. On 14 January, my Rt Hon and noble Friend, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Baroness Anelay, met the Bahraini Minister of Justice and highlighted the importance of Bahrain continuing to enhance its overall co-operation with UN institutions, including with the UN Office of the High Commission for Human Rights.

Bahrain

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) financial and (b) other assistance his Department is providing to the Bahraini government for (i) security sector and prison reform, (ii) judicial independence and rule of law and (iii) good governance and related matters.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will have provided in the region of £1.2 million worth of support to Bahrain's reform programme this financial year. Our reform assistance is focused on strengthening human rights and the rule of law. As part of this we have funded work with the Ministry of the Interior’s Ombudsman’s Office on several priority areas. This includes sharing UK best practice on complaints procedures, investigation reports and the role of prison inspection, as well as youth justice and court administration. We have also provided capacity building support to key institutions.

Bahrain

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations have been or will be made to relevant Bahraini government officials about the arrest and detention of the Al-Wefaq Secretary-General Sheikh Ali Salman.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are following closely the arrest and ongoing detention of Sheikh Ali Salman. My Rt Hon and noble Friend, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Baroness Anelay raised the case with the Minister for Justice on 14 January. We encourage the government of Bahrain to ensure that due process is followed. We urge all sides to remain calm and avoid any action that might escalate tensions.

Religious Freedom

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to reduce religious persecution across the world.

Mr David Lidington: Freedom of religion or belief is one of our international human rights priorities. We work actively both bilaterally and multilaterally to ensure governments protect the right of all individuals to practise their religion or belief free from persecution or discrimination. Government foreign policy on freedom of religion or belief is informed by expertise from UK civil society and Parliament, including through an Advisory Group to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Human Rights. We are active in the United Nations, European Union and other relevant international organisations in calling on states to promote and protect the right to freedom of religion or belief and ensure the free and equal participation of all in society. As an example of our bilateral work, the UK is currently providing Nigeria with a package of support to assist in its fight against the extremist and intolerant views of Boko Haram, whose indiscriminate attacks have caused suffering in communities of different faiths and ethnicities.

Saudi Arabia

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the flogging of Raif Badawi in Saudi Arabia.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Whilst the latest flogging has been postponed, we remain seriously concerned by Raif Badawi’s case. The UK condemns the use of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment in all circumstances. We have raised Mr Badawi’s case at a senior level with the Saudi authorities. The UK is a strong supporter of freedom of expression around the world. We believe that people must be allowed to freely discuss and debate issues, challenge their governments, exercise the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and speak out against violations of human rights wherever they occur.

Corporal Punishment

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the use of corporal punishment for penal purposes.

Mr David Lidington: The UK Government condemns all forms of judicial corporal punishment. We believe it amounts to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and is incompatible with international human rights law and the obligations of States Parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Convention against Torture. Where we have concerns, we raise these with the appropriate authorities. As part of the UK’s global strategy on torture prevention, Ministers and senior officials frequently raise concerns about torture in multilateral fora, including on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Convention Against Torture on 10th December 2014.

Middle East

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote freedom of speech in the Middle East.

Mr David Lidington: Freedom of expression has been a human rights priority for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, from the beginning of this Parliament; and the subject of an Expert Group which advises Ministers. We raise press freedom regularly in multilateral fora, supporting relevant initiatives and resolutions, and in bilateral conversations – in both private and public. We regularly raise the importance of freedom of speech with counterparts in government across the Middle East and North Africa. Through our Arab Partnership Initiative, we are working to support the development of legitimate and inclusive institutions to improve governance, enable inclusive reform and protect fundamental freedoms such as freedom of speech. Our Arab Partnership Participation Fund has supported the training of journalists in countries across the region, including Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt to deliver un-biased reporting and work to protect freedom of speech. In Iraq, we have worked to build a legal and regulatory environment in order to allow Iraqi media to operate safely, freely and effectively.

Saudi Arabia

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to promote freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK is a strong and leading supporter of freedom of expression around the world. We continue to raise a range of human rights issues with the Saudi authorities including the right to freedom of expression. Earlier this month we raised freedom of expression at a senior level with the Saudi authorities.

Saudi Arabia

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the case of Raif Badawi in Saudi Arabia.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Whilst the latest flogging has been postponed, we remain seriously concerned by Raif Badawi’s case. The UK condemns the use of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment in all circumstances. We have raised Mr Badawi’s case at a senior level with the Saudi authorities.The UK is a strong supporter of freedom of expression around the world. We believe that people must be allowed to freely discuss and debate issues, challenge their governments, exercise the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and speak out against violations of human rights wherever they occur.

Arms Trade: Exports

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on the sale of arms by UK companies to countries with governments which consistently violate the human rights of their citizens.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: This Government supports a responsible defence and security industry that helps meet the legitimate defence needs of other states, and contributes to their security and law and order.We take our arms export responsibilities very seriously and aim to operate one of the most rigorous and transparent arms export control regimes in the world. All defence and dual-use exports are required to meet the UK’s strict export control legislation and adhere to the UK international commitments including international treaties and obligations.Each application for an export licence is subject to rigorous case-by-case assessment against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. Risks around human rights violations are a key part of our assessment. We do not issue an export licence if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression.

Greece

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Greek counterpart on elections in that country in January 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: Neither the Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) nor I have discussed the Greek elections with our counterparts in Greece. It is for the Greek people to decide on their government. We look forward to working with the Government of Greece after the elections and maintaining the excellent relations that we enjoy between our two countries, including in the context of our cooperation as members of NATO and the EU.

Sri Lanka

Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political rights of and economic opportunities for Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Mr Hugo Swire: The election of President Sirisena represents an opportunity for Sri Lanka to grow as a stable prosperous and inclusive country, reflecting the wishes of all of its people. The President’s 100 day programme and manifesto includes social, economic, educational and governance commitments that should benefit Tamil people. These include better access to education in the Tamil language; relief to displaced people; a democratic civil administration in the North and South of the island; bringing an end to racial and religious hatred; and, steps to promote reconciliation between communities.We will be following the implementation of President Sirisena’s commitments closely, and stand ready to support Sri Lanka’s path to long term reconciliation.

EU Reform

Miss Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts about reforming the European Union.

Mr David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) and I regularly speak to our European counterparts on a range of issues, including EU reform. In addition, since July 2014, the Foreign Secretary has been undertaking a series of visits to EU Member States’ capitals to discuss EU reform. During the course of these visits, he has met with the Foreign Ministers of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden. He has raised, with these Foreign Ministers the Government’s position that EU reform is necessary for the EU to become more competitive, democratically accountable and fair for those inside and outside the Eurozone.

Iran

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress has been made on negotiations on the future of Iran's nuclear programme.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The E3+3 and Iran agreed on 24 November 2014 to extend the negotiations for seven months because both sides believed that a comprehensive nuclear deal was possible, but more time was needed to bridge differences, in particular on Iran's enrichment capacity. Since then there have been two further rounds of talks, most recently on 18 January. These talks have been serious and useful. For us to reach a deal, Iran needs to show more flexibility on the key issue of enrichment. Talks will resume in February.

Ukraine: Russia

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Russian government about its annexation of Crimea.

Mr David Lidington: We have made clear that we will not recognise Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, which remains a part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine. This point is raised as a matter of principle in any high-level level UK/Russia bilateral meetings. I last raised this issue the last time I met the Russian Ambassador in December.

Egypt

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Egyptian government on freedom of speech in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I regularly raise the importance of freedom of speech with members of the Egyptian government, including most recently during my visit to Cairo on January 12 – 16. The UK Government also raised concerns about restrictions on freedom of speech in Egypt during the United Nations Universal Periodic Review of Egypt’s human rights situation on 5 November.We will continue to urge the Government of Egypt to demonstrate its commitment to freedom of speech, including the right of journalists to operate without fear of prosecution. The UK has clearly stated that freedom of the press is fundamental to building a democratic society.

Saudi Arabia

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has summoned the Saudi Ambassador in London in order to make representations over the public flogging of Raif Badawi.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have raised the case of Raif Badawi at a senior level with the Saudi authorities.

Saudi Arabia

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the compliance with international law of the conviction and sentencing of Raif Badawi.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are seriously concerned by Raif Badawi’s case. The UK condemns the use of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment in all circumstances. We have raised the case of Raif Badawi at a senior level with the Saudi authorities.

India

Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on a likely release date for Billy Irving and his 34 colleagues from the anti-piracy ship held in India since October 2013.

Mr Hugo Swire: We continue to follow the case of Mr Irving and his colleagues extremely closely. The men are currently on release in India while their case is considered by the Indian judicial system. The Supreme Court will consider it in February, but we cannot predict when this will conclude. We recognise how difficult this is for the men and their families and have repeatedly called on the Indian authorities for a speedy resolution to the case to allow the men to be reunited with their families. We will continue to use all appropriate opportunities to do so.

Syria

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the (a) number of resettlement places that EU member states are offering Syrian refugees and (b) EU's response to other aspects of the Syrian refugee crisis.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK Government believes that humanitarian aid and actively seeking to end the conflict in Syria are the most effective ways for the UK to help the majority of refugees, rather than increasing resettlement. That is why the UK has donated £700 million to support refugees in the region, making us the second largest bilateral donor after the USA. We have made our position on this clear in relevant discussions with other EU Member States. EU Member States have responded to the crisis in different ways; it is right that the international community should consider all available means to relieve the suffering of the Syrian people.

Syria

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees following the introduction of visa requirements for Syrian nationals entering Lebanon.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I discussed the issue of Syrian refugees with the Lebanese Prime Minister and the Speaker for Parliament when I visited Lebanon in December. I paid tribute to Lebanon’s generosity towards over 1.1 million registered refugees, and made clear that the UK’s support for Lebanon, which has now reached around £160 million since the start of the Syria crisis, will continue. Following the announcement of new border regulations by the Lebanese authorities, our Ambassador in Lebanon, alongside EU partners, reiterated to the Lebanese Prime Minister the international community’s concern that the new border regulations should provide adequately for the most vulnerable humanitarian cases. UK officials have also shared our concerns about the situation with the Lebanon Country Director of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Northern Ireland Office

Terrorism

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress the Government has made on its work to provide justice for the victims of the 1976 Kingsmill Massacre.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: The Kingsmill attack was a horrendous sectarian atrocity. I understand how the pain of such an attack never diminishes for the families of the victims. I hope that the ongoing Coroner’s inquests will help provide the answers the families are seeking about the deaths of their loved ones.

Attorney General

Stalking

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, what the sex was of the (a) complainant and (b) defendant in each of the cases of stalking brought since the implementation of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012; and what the outcome was in each such case.

Mr Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service does not maintain a central record of the sex of either complainants or defendants prosecuted in cases where charges of stalking under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 have been brought. Obtaining this information would require a manual review of individual case files which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

City Link

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2015 to Question 219632, whether his Department received any direct or indirect information from people or organisations other than City Link or the administrators (a) orally or (b) in writing before 23 December 2014 that there was a possibility of City Link being placed into administration.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 16 January 2015



The Insolvency Service first received information that a national logistics firm was at risk via email on 9 December and passed this to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) on 10 December. Requests for the company name were rejected as the information was commercially sensitive. On the basis of the available information, officials worked with the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus to be ready to provide support should a failure actually materialise.   It is not uncommon for BIS to receive commercially sensitive information about companies or facilities at risk in strict confidence, though not all of these result in a company or site closure or significant job losses. BIS treats any such information with the utmost discretion in order to avoid precipitating a failure, which we would all wish to avoid.

Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 1 October 2014 to Question 206270, what (a) safeguards and (b) monitoring processes and producers are operated by his Department or the Business Bank in relation to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme; what scrutiny of lenders takes place routinely; and what data his Department collects on the operation of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme by lenders.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 20 January 2015



Participating lenders under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme are subject to a continuous cycle of risk based and thematic independent audits to monitor their compliance with the scheme. Regular communications and meetings take place with lenders to discuss the results of the audits, additional correspondence and EFG related complaints. Oversight is enhanced through analysis by the British Business Bank of the transactional data recorded by the lenders.

Engineering: Females

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2015 to Question 219396, on the Employee Ownership Fund, what estimate he has made of the amount of the £0.72 million that will be spent on training women engineers.

Nick Boles: I have decided to support two of the three applications that we received under the women in engineering call under the Employer Ownership Fund. The two companies will receive a total of £104k, £12k of which is planned to be drawn down by one of the companies in the current Financial Year. The Women in Engineering call is now closed. There are, however, further opportunities to support women engineers in the two Employer Ownership Fund calls that are currently open: supporting companies in the automotive supply chain and supporting engineering careers in smaller companies.

Department for International Development

Palestinians

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to work with partners in the region to ensure that sufficient aid for reconstruction reaches Gaza following the recent conflict.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID has already disbursed £5 million of the £20 million early recovery assistance that we pledged at the Gaza Reconstruction Conference. The UK was also the first donor to support the temporary Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism which is facilitating the import of construction materials into Gaza, and, in close co-ordination with our EU partners and the Office of the Quartet Representative, we continue to press the Government of Israel to lift restrictions and facilitate the entry of aid into Gaza.

Overseas Aid

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the long-term health care needs of victims of Operation Protective Edge; what funding and other assistance her Department is giving to address those needs; and over what time period that funding and assistance will be given.

Mr Desmond Swayne: According to the UN, over 11,000 Palestinians were injured during Operation Protective Edge, including over 3,000 children. The UN further notes that 1,000 of these children will suffer a life-long disability; 6,000 more will have a parent with a long-term disability. The UK is the third largest donor to the UN Relief and Works Agency (£107 million between 2012-15) which provides healthcare to the 70% of the population in Gaza who are Palestinian refugees. In addition to this, the UK pledged a further £20 million at the Gaza Reconstruction Conference which includes support for reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation for those injured in the conflict. We have already disbursed a quarter of this pledge and the remainder will be released next year.

Overseas Aid

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what account she takes of promoting freedom of speech when deciding on allocations of overseas aid.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID promotes respect for human rights, including freedom of expression, through its partnerships with governments and, where necessary, raises issues of concern in collaboration with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.   Before providing aid to a foreign government, DFID assesses the government’s commitment to four partnership principles, one of which concerns human rights. Where we cannot provide aid directly to governments, we will find other ways to help poor people in those countries.

Public Expenditure

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much public expenditure was allocated from her Department to the London Stock Exchange Group in each financial year from 2009-10; and how much public expenditure is allocated to that Group for 2015-16.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what budget was allocated by her Department to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in each financial year from 2009-10; and what budget is allocated to the ILO for 2015-16.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what budget was allocated by her Department to the Global Small and Medium Enterprise Financial Initiative in each financial year from 2009-10; and what budget is allocated to that organisation for 2015-16.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what budget was allocated by her Department to the Global Value Chains Initiative in each financial year from 2009-10; and what budget is allocated to that organisation for 2015-16.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what budget was allocated by her Department to the Private Infrastructure Development Group in each financial year from 2009-10; and what budget was allocated to that organisation for 2015-16.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what budget was allocated by her Department to the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund in each financial year from 2009-10; and what budget is allocated to that organisation for 2015-16.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what budget was allocated by her Department to the Investment Facility to Utilise UK Specific Expertise in each financial year from 2009-10; and what budget is allocated to that organisation for 2015-16.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what budget was allocated by her Department to Our Poorest State Inclusive Programme in each financial year from 2009-10; and what budget is allocated to that organisation for 2015-16.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what budget was allocated by her Department to the International Trade Centre in each financial year from 2009-10; and what budget is allocated to that organisation for 2015-16.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what budget was allocated by her Department to the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency in each financial year from 2009-10; and what budget is allocated to that organisation for 2015-16.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what budget was allocated by her Department to AMPLIFY in each financial year from 2009-10; and what budget is allocated to that organisation for 2015-16.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what budget was allocated by her Department to the Arab Women's Enterprise Fund in each financial year from 2009-10; and what budget is allocated to that organisation for 2015-16.

Justine Greening: Information on previous budget allocations is available at http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/. 2015-16 allocations remain subject to ministerial approval.

Department for Education

Teachers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government plans to take to support newly-qualified teachers in seeking employment.

Mr David Laws: The Department for Education has reformed initial teacher training so that schools can now play a much greater part in selecting and training new teachers, ensuring that they are well prepared for life in the classroom.   Newly qualified teachers working in the maintained school sector are entitled to a period of statutory induction, which helps to build a bridge between their initial training and a career in teaching. In 2014, the annual newly qualified teachers survey reported that 94% of both primary and secondary trainees rated their induction experience as helpful.   Overall, teacher vacancy rates remain very low (vacancy rate of 0.2% as of November 2013). The Government provides access, through the gov.uk portal, to the ‘Universal Jobmatch’ website, which helps teachers (amongst others) to identify appropriate vacancies. Schools and local authorities (in the maintained sector) are responsible for recruiting their staff and it is their responsibility to select the teacher they consider is best for the post available.

Pupils: Kingswood

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the per pupil funding for (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils in Kingswood constituency was in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2015.

Mr David Laws: Funding from the Department for Education is not allocated at a parliamentary constituency level. Figures for South Gloucestershire local authority, within which Kingswood lies, are given below. The average per-pupil revenue funding for South Gloucestershire in financial year 2010-11 was £4,490. This figure is calculated as the sum of Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocations plus other school related grants for pupils aged 3-15, namely, the school standards grant, the school standards grant (personalisation) and the standards fund (rounded to the nearest £10). Most of the additional grants were mainstreamed into DSG in 2011-12. The changes to DSG funding in financial year 2013-14, with funding allocated through three blocks; ‘schools’, ‘early years’ and ‘high needs’, mean that there is no longer a comparable overall figure with previous years. The DSG schools block unit funding figure for South Gloucestershire local authority for financial year 2014-15 was £3,969 per pupil. This has risen to £4,189 for financial year 2015-16 as the authority was one of the beneficiaries of the extra funding provided under minimum funding levels for the least fairly funded local authorities. Since 2011-12, schools have received the pupil premium which targets funding at pupils from the most deprived backgrounds to help them achieve their full potential. In 2011-12 the pupil premium was allocated for each pupil known to be: (a) eligible for free school meals (FSM); (b) a looked after child; or (c) a child of parents in the armed services. In 2012-13 coverage was expanded to include pupils known to have been eligible for FSM at any point in the last six years. The per-pupil amounts for each type of pupil are shown in following table in cash terms: Pupil premium per pupil (£)2011-20122012-20132013-20142014-20152015-2016Free School Meal Pupil Primary£488£623£953£1300£1320Free School Meal Pupil Secondary£488£623£900£935£935Service Children£200£250£300£300£300Looked After Children£488£623£900£1900*£1900* *Also includes children adopted from care   Schools and academies in South Gloucestershire local authority have been allocated £7.652 million through the pupil premium for financial year 2014-15. Schools and academies in Kingswood constituency have been allocated £2.782 million through the pupil premium for financial year 2014-15. Allocations for financial year 2015-16 are not yet available. These include funding through the deprivation, service child and the children adopted from care elements, but exclude the looked after children element for Kingswood as this is not available at a parliamentary constituency level.

Sixth Form Colleges: VAT

Sir Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy that VAT should be applied to sixth form colleges in the same terms as mainstream schools with sixth forms.

Mr David Laws: Ministers have said publicly (since December 2013) that they are sympathetic to sixth form colleges' requests for assistance towards their VAT costs, but that it is not affordable to provide this in financial years 2014-15 or 2015-16.

Carers

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial rewards her Department makes available to kinship carers.

Mr Edward Timpson: Children placed in a kinship care arrangement by a local authority are looked after children, in which case their carer must be approved as a foster carer. In these circumstances, kinship carers must receive the same support, including financial support, as all other foster carers. The majority of kinship carers will be caring for children who are not looked after.Relatives caring for a child in these circumstances are entitled to support, such as child benefit and any other benefits available to parents, subject to the usual eligibility criteria. In 2011, the Department for Education issued ‘Family and Friends Care: Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities’ which sets out a requirement on local authorities to develop clear, publically accessible policies to describe how they will assess and support children cared for by kinship carers. Such support could include financial help for carers of children who are not looked after, where the local authority assesses this is appropriate.

Carers

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential for misuse of the kinship carer system.

Mr Edward Timpson: Children live with kinship carers for a wide range of reasons: parental difficulties, mental or physical ill health, divorce or separation, imprisonment or bereavement. The circumstances and legal statuses of children and carers in these arrangements vary widely. There is not, therefore, a single “kinship carer system” and for this reason the Government has not given consideration to making an assessment of the potential for any general misuse of kinship care arrangementsIn 2011, the Department for Education issued ‘Family and Friends Care: Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities’,[1] this guidance is clear that children and young people unable to live with their parents should receive the support they and their carers need to safeguard and promote their welfare, whether or not they are looked after.[1] www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-act-1989-family-and-friends-care

Carers

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of cases in which two or more babies born to the same mother were put into kinship care.

Mr Edward Timpson: The information requested is not collected.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many independent careers advisers were employed by schools in academic years (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many independent careers advisers were employed in schools in the academic year (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14.

Nick Boles: The Department for Education publishes data on the number of staff in schools with the role of careers adviser, but not on independent careers advisers employed by schools.   Schools were placed under a statutory duty to secure independent careers guidance for pupils in September 2012. Schools can retain in-house arrangements for providing careers guidance but must combine this with support from external sources to meet their legal requirements. Statutory guidance underpinning the duty is clear that this should include face-to-face guidance where it is the most suitable support for young people to make successful transitions.

Headteachers: Qualifications

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people started the National Professional Qualification for Headship in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

Mr David Laws: a) In financial year 2009/10 1466 people commenced the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) programme.b) In financial year 2010/11 1464 people commenced the NPQH programme.c) In financial year 2011/12 1981 people commenced the NPQH programme. There are two NPQH application rounds per annum. NPQH has a learning journey of 12-18 months and therefore participants commencing during one financial year may not present for the final assessment for a further two financial years.

Headteachers: Qualifications

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people (a) applied for and (b) completed the National Professional Qualification for Headship in financial years (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12, (iv) 2012-13 and (v) 2013-14.

Mr David Laws: a) In financial year 2009/10 1620 people applied for the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) and 1089 graduated from the programme.b) In financial year 2010/11 1573 people applied for NPQH and 1345 graduated from the programme.c) In financial year 2011/12 2591 people applied for NPQH and 1165 graduated from the programmed) In financial year 2012/13 1532 people applied for NPQH and 120 graduated from the programme.e) In financial year 2013/14 1262 people applied for NPQH and 194 graduated from the programme. There are two NPQH application rounds per annum. NPQH has a learning journey of 12-18 months and therefore participants commencing during one financial year may not present for the final assessment for a further two financial years. In order to commence NPQH applicants take part in a two-stage assessment process, where they are required to demonstrate a range of leadership competencies showing their readiness for headship. Those deemed not ready to progress onto the programme at first application, following the overall assessment, ranges between 10% and 25% (depending on the quality of applications during any one intake round). NPQH is no longer mandatory for first time serving headteachers, as the mandatory status was withdrawn in February 2012, this allows multiple routes for senior school leaders to secure headteacher positions. NPQH was last reviewed in 2012/13 following the government white paper ‘The importance of teaching’ 2012.

Headteachers: Qualifications

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people applied for the National Professional Qualification for Headship in the first half of financial year 2014-15.

Mr David Laws: National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) is no longer mandatory. 394 people applied for the NPQH in the first half of the financial year 2014/15. Evidence from previous NPQH application rounds demonstrates fewer people apply for NPQH in the first round of applications than the second round, as the commencement date for the second round aligns with the start of a new academic year.

Mathematics: Teachers

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of secondary school mathematics teachers hold a mathematics degree in each local authority in England.

Mr David Laws: The information requested is not available at local authority level.

Physics: Teachers

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of secondary school physics teachers hold a physics degree in each local authority in England.

Mr David Laws: The information requested is not available at local authority level.

Chemistry: Teachers

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of secondary school chemistry teachers hold a chemistry degree in each local authority in England.

Mr David Laws: The information requested is not available at local authority level.

Teachers: East of England

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary school teachers in each parliamentary constituency in the East of England have a science degree.

Mr David Laws: The following table provides the headcount number and percentage of all regular teachers[1] in service in primary schools in each constituency in the East of England with a degree in a science subject in November 2013. This is the latest information available. Name of ConstituencyNumber of Teachers with Science Degree[2]Number of Teachers with a Qualification Recorded[3]Percentage with a Science Qualification Confidence Interval[4]Percentage of Teachers with Qualification RecordedBasildon and Billericay203795.3+/-2.392.7Bedford173275.2+/-2.495.1Braintree324117.8+/-2.695.8Brentwood and Ongar223546.2+/-2.590.8Broadland253766.6+/-2.595.2Broxbourne385267.2+/-2.297.4Bury St. Edmunds313488.9+/-3.091.1Cambridge4338011.3+/-3.296.7Castle Point163294.9+/-2.392.9Central Suffolk and North Ipswich394239.2+/-2.891.4Chelmsford304526.6+/-2.396.4Clacton172456.9+/-3.292.8Colchester314766.5+/-2.294.8Epping Forest183385.3+/-2.486.9Great Yarmouth4138910.5+/-3.193.3Harlow274016.7+/-2.592.4Harwich and North Essex283857.3+/-2.693.7Hemel Hempstead405077.9+/-2.394.6Hertford and Stortford465418.5+/-2.497.3Hertsmere304876.2+/-2.196.2Hitchin and Harpenden486107.9+/-2.198.2Huntingdon425088.3+/-2.496.6Ipswich395057.7+/-2.389.1Luton North396496.0+/-1.893.5Luton South315086.1+/-2.192.2Maldon233277.0+/-2.890.8Mid Bedfordshire203665.5+/-2.397.6Mid Norfolk4738012.4+/-3.394.3North East Bedfordshire233895.9+/-2.394.9North East Cambridgeshire4240910.3+/-2.993.8North East Hertfordshire415108.0+/-2.495.9North Norfolk3528412.3+/-3.892.5North West Cambridgeshire406006.7+/-2.095.7North West Norfolk183495.2+/-2.386.4Norwich North273487.8+/-2.893.8Norwich South323738.6+/-2.894.7Peterborough366075.9+/-1.997.0Rayleigh and Wickford253836.5+/-2.592.5Rochford and Southend East354457.9+/-2.593.1Saffron Walden334597.2+/-2.491.3South Basildon and East Thurrock234724.9+/-1.994.6South Cambridgeshire405317.5+/-2.296.5South East Cambridgeshire455068.9+/-2.596.9South Norfolk334347.6+/-2.596.2South Suffolk4036710.9+/-3.293.4South West Bedfordshire293967.3+/-2.694.1South West Hertfordshire395487.1+/-2.298.6South West Norfolk323858.3+/-2.892.8Southend West213585.9+/-2.491.1St. Albans445627.8+/-2.296.2Stevenage354877.2+/-2.398.2Suffolk Coastal3635810.1+/-3.189.9Thurrock345276.5+/-2.191.2Watford415407.6+/-2.297.1Waveney364258.5+/-2.689.7Welwyn Hatfield435368.0+/-2.397.8West Suffolk293947.4+/-2.688.5Witham293558.2+/-2.894.2Total East of England1,89625,2647.5+/-0.394.1Total England18,795227,5138.3+/-0.195.5   Source: School Workforce Census  [1] Includes qualified and unqualified teachers.[2] Includes teachers with a first or higher science degree but excluding those with a science PGCE where no record of a science degree exists and those with a BEd in sciences.[3] Those recorded with a qualification (degree or higher, Bachelor of Education, Post-Graduate Certificate in Education, Certificate in Education, other qualification at NVQ level 4 or higher, relevant non-UK qualification) in any subject, (the total in the sample from which the rate is calculated).[4] The range within which we can be 95% confident that the true value exists.

Headteachers: Qualifications

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people started the National Professional Qualification for Headship in the financial year (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

Mr David Laws: a) In financial year 2009/10 1466 people commenced the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) programme.b) In financial year 2010/11 1464 people commenced the NPQH programme.c) In financial year 2011/12 1981 people commenced the NPQH programme. There are two NPQH application rounds per annum. NPQH has a learning journey of 12-18 months and therefore participants commencing during one financial year may not present for the final assessment for a further two financial years.

Headteachers: Qualifications

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people (a) applied for and (b) completed the National Professional Qualification for Headship in the financial year (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12, (iv) 2012-13 and (v) 2013-14.

Mr David Laws: a) In financial year 2009/10 1620 people applied for the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) and 1089 graduated from the programme.b) In financial year 2010/11 1573 people applied for NPQH and 1345 graduated from the programme.c) In financial year 2011/12 2591 people applied for NPQH and 1165 graduated from the programmed) In financial year 2012/13 1532 people applied for NPQH and 120 graduated from the programme.e) In financial year 2013/14 1262 people applied for NPQH and 194 graduated from the programme. There are two NPQH application rounds per annum. NPQH has a learning journey of 12-18 months and therefore participants commencing during one financial year may not present for the final assessment for a further two financial years. In order to commence NPQH applicants take part in a two-stage assessment process, where they are required to demonstrate a range of leadership competencies showing their readiness for headship. Those deemed not ready to progress onto the programme at first application, following the overall assessment, ranges between 10% and 25% (depending on the quality of applications during any one intake round). NPQH is no longer mandatory for first time serving headteachers, as the mandatory status was withdrawn in February 2012; this allows multiple routes for senior school leaders to secure headteacher positions. NPQH was last reviewed in 2012/13 following the government white paper ‘The importance of teaching’ (2012).

Headteachers: Qualifications

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people applied for the National Professional Qualification for Headship in the first half of financial year 2014-15.

Mr David Laws: National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) is no longer mandatory. 394 people applied for the NPQH in the first half of the financial year 2014/15. Evidence from previous NPQH application rounds demonstrates fewer people apply for NPQH in the first round of applications than the second round, as the commencement date for the second round aligns with the start of a new academic year.

Ministry of Justice

Staff

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on (a) consultants, (b) temporary staff and (c) contingent labour in each of the last five years; how many people have been so employed; what the length of contract of each such person was; and what equivalent civil service salary band each was on.

Simon Hughes: The spend for consultants, temporary staff and contingent labour has been published in the Ministry of Justice annual report and accounts, which can be found at the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-12 (page 31 for 2010/2011 & 2011/2012) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2013-to-2014 (page 33 for 2012/2013 & 2013/2014) As the contracts for Consultancy are awarded to Companies on a project basis, the Ministry of Justice cannot establish the exact number working at a specific point in time. The number and seniority of consultants will vary depending on the stage in the project.To establish the exact number of Agency and Interim staff we would need to interrogate both the MoJ files and Companies data to obtain the information required and then review and collate that information. By doing so we would incur disproportionate costs in answering this question.Temporary staff and consultants are only used to fill business critical posts and provide essential services where they can provide a fast, flexible and efficient way to obtain necessary skills that are not currently available in house.

Electronic Tagging

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, to which companies Capita are sub-contracting under its electronic monitoring contract with his Department.

Andrew Selous: Capita is currently providing electronic monitoring services under an interim contract while the new contracts are mobilised. Capita subcontracts with a number of companies to deliver these services; namely, G4S, Serco, Lex Autolease, Nacro, Vodafone and TNT Express. Under these transitional arrangements, Capita is responsible for managing the electronic monitoring service using the equipment and systems inherited from G4S and Serco. The involvement of the former suppliers will come to an end once the new contracts have been fully mobilised.

Courts: Fines

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve the recovery of court fines; and if he will make a statement.

Mike Penning: This Government takes recovery and enforcement of financial impositions very seriously and remains committed to finding new ways to ensure impositions are paid and to trace those who do not pay. This is why there has been a year on year increase in the total amount of financial penalties collected over the last three years. The amount of money collected reached an all time high of £290 million at the end of 2013/14 and collections continue to rise. In 2013/14 the total outstanding balance of financial impositions reduced by £26.7m (5%) in the year. To build on improvements made in recent years in fine collection HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is embarking on an ambitious programme of reform. When developing and implementing the Criminal Compliance and Enforcement Services Blueprint we identified a number of areas where fundamental change was necessary in order to increase fine collection and better serve the public by delivering value for tax payers’ money. To meet these challenges HMCTS is looking to work with an external provider for future provision of the service. This will bring the necessary investment and technology HMCTS needs to achieve its aspirations for compliance and enforcement services in the future. It will enable the automation of many of the manual administrative processes and in turn decrease the cost of providing fine enforcement and increase the amount of fines that are paid. The innovation this will bring and the use of automated administrative processes will free up staff time to be more pro-active in pursuing offenders to ensure they comply with their court order. The competition to identify an external provider commenced in July 2013; the contract is expected to be awarded in early 2015. HMCTS has also started to pilot the use of data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in fine collection in July 2014, albeit for a number of specifically targeted cases. Early indications are that data from HMRC has enabled HM Courts & Tribunals Service to increase the number of attachment of earnings orders it can make. At present, it is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate of the impact on collection rates; however HMCTS is exploring ways to assess the impact of receiving the data over coming months.

Distress Warrants

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of distress warrants that were passed to private debt collection agencies were returned to his Department as uncollected in each of the last three years; and what proportion of those penalties were subsequently collected by the National Crime and Enforcement Service.

Mike Penning: This Government takes recovery and enforcement of financial impositions very seriously and remains committed to finding new ways to ensure impositions are paid and to trace those who do not pay. This is why there has been a year on year increase in the total amount of financial penalties collected over the last three years. The amount of money collected reached an all time high of £290 million at the end of 2013/14 and collections continue to rise. In 2013/14 the total outstanding balance of financial impositions reduced by £26.7m (5%) in the year. We do not keep data on the numbers of distress warrants returned uncollected. It is not possible to provide figures on the proportion of those warrants returned where the impositions were subsequently collected by the National Crime and Enforcement Service due to the constraints of the current IT system.

Courts: Fines

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of staff of his Department having access to HM Revenue and Customs information on individuals who have defaulted and are in employment on the level of collection rates of fines and compensation set by the courts.

Mike Penning: This Government takes recovery and enforcement of financial impositions very seriously and remains committed to finding new ways to ensure impositions are paid and to trace those who do not pay. This is why there has been a year on year increase in the total amount of financial penalties collected over the last three years. The amount of money collected reached an all time high of £290 million at the end of 2013/14 and collections continue to rise. In 2013/14 the total outstanding balance of financial impositions reduced by £26.7m (5%) in the year. In July 2014 HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) started a pilot to utilise data provided by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to enforce outstanding financial impositions. While the pilot is limited to a number of specifically targeted cases, early indications are that HMRC are able to provide data that assists in the enforcement of outstanding accounts. So far HMCTS has sent over 124,000 accounts to HMRC who have been able to supply HMCTS with employer’s details on 40% of those accounts and self employment details on a further 22%. In addition, HMRC has been able to provide additional information, such as addresses and phone numbers, that differ from those held on the HMCTS account. As a result HMCTS have secured attachment of earnings orders on 66% of the accounts where HMRC have been able to supply employer’s details. Additionally, HMRC data secured on some of the accounts in the remaining 34% has enabled us to take immediate alternative enforcement action, such as the service of a further steps notice, but may also enable future enforcement by attachment of earnings should it be required. It is not possible to identify how much has been collected as direct result of the data received from HMRC, without checking every account in scope and establishing how many of those accounts would have been paid in full in any event. However, it is possible to confirm that use of the HMRC data has resulted in accounts that have been outstanding for a number of years suddenly being paid in full as a result of the attachment of earnings order, despite many previous attempts to enforce them.

Scotland Office

Offshore Industry

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with (a) the Scottish Government and (b) his ministerial colleagues on the sustainability of employment and exploration levels in the North Sea oil and gas industry; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has regular discussions with colleagues and industry leaders on support for the Oil and Gas sector in Scotland.The UK Government has demonstrated its long term commitment to supporting this vital industry with a package of fiscal measures designed to ease the tax burden on the industry and expected to drive around £7 billion of additional investment. We are also delivering the full implementation of the Wood Review recommendations.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits

Mrs Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many hardship payments were made to sanctioned jobseeker's allowance claimants in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 16 January 2015



 The total number of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) hardship awards made in each month from April 2011 to March 2012 (the latest available published data) is shown in the table below. Number of hardship awards in each month 2011-12, Great BritainMonthNo. of awardsApr-20115,000May-20116,000Jun-20116,000Jul-20115,000Aug-20115,000Sep-20115,000Oct-20115,000Nov-20116,000Dec-20115,000Jan-20125,000Feb-20126,000Mar-20126,0002011-12 total64,000 Notes:The numbers of JSA Hardship Awards were collated from aggregate DWP MISP Management Information. This data is a combination of system and clerically sourced Management Information. It is not considered 100% reliable and may contain duplicates. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 1,000.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his strategy for testing approaches to universal credit in-work conditionality includes testing employer involvement in the application of conditionality.

Esther McVey: There are no plans to test employer involvement in the application of conditionality.

Employment: Mental Illness

Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will assess the implications for his policies of the recommendations in the report by MIND entitled We've got work to do, published in December 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Harper: We are committed to helping those with mental health conditions to stay in or get back to work and ensuring we offer the best possible support. This is why, with the Department of Health, we are piloting the most promising and evidence-based approaches to supporting individuals with mental health conditions recommended in the expert report Psychological Wellbeing and Work: Improving Service Provision and Outcomes. These pilots will contribute to a better evidence base and will inform our thinking about next steps not only for government, but for all who have a role to play including employers, commissioners, service providers and individuals. The Disability Confident Campaign is working alongside others, including Mind, on events to raise awareness of Access to Work’s Mental Health Support Service. Last year over 1,400 people who had a mental health condition as their primary condition were supported by Access to Work – an almost threefold increase in the volumes supported compared to 2010/11.

Personal Independence Payment

Mr Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of claimants of personal independence payments waited more than 16 weeks for a face-to-face assessment by each provider since the introduction of that payment.

Mr Mark Harper: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer I gave on the 12 January 2015 to Question UIN 220004.

Universal Credit: Disqualification

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to pilot different approaches to the use of sanctions in in work conditionality for universal credit.

Esther McVey: There are currently no plans to do this.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received from the Trussell Trust about the adequacy of his Department's hardship payments scheme since 2010.

Esther McVey: The information as requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to pilot approaches to in work conditionality in which the conditionality will be applied by staff other than Jobcentre Plus staff; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The first of the large-scale Randomised Controlled Trials testing in work conditionality will, subject to securing the necessary piloting Regulations, start in April 2015 and be delivered by Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches. No other pilots have yet been planned.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects in work conditionality to be applied to all appropriate claimants of universal credit.

Esther McVey: Large Scale Randomised Control Trials will start in April 2015. We will draw from the findings to make decisions regarding the introduction of in-work conditionality to all claimants.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 7.12 of the Explanatory Memorandum to the Universal Credit (Work-Related Requirements) In Work Pilot Scheme Amendment Regulations 2015, if he will place in the Library a copy of the strategy for testing alternative approaches to universal credit in work conditionality.

Esther McVey: The Universal Credit at Work document published in October 2014 sets out the broad strategy to encourage progression of earnings once in work. We will use future publications to provide further information as the strategy is developed.

Housing Benefit

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the shared accommodation rate reflects the real cost of renting shared accommodation.

Steve Webb: Currently, increases to Local Housing Allowance rates are limited to one per cent. However, in areas where there have been the greatest divergences, we are increasing rates by up to 4 per cent subject to the funding available. In 2014/15, this meant that 56 out of the 192 Shared Accommodation Rates were increased by 4 per cent. In 2015/16, we will be increasing 63 out of the 192 Shared Accommodation Rates by 4 per cent.

Children: Maintenance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many letters giving one month's notice of case closure have been sent to Child Support Agency clients.

Steve Webb: Up to and including 11 January 2015, 7,521 reminder letters have been sent to clients, giving one month’s notice of case closure.

Children: Maintenance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many six months' notice warning letters of case closure have been sent to Child Support Agency customers in each month since 30 June 2014.

Steve Webb: The table attached below shows the monthly distribution of first contact notice of closure letters, issued to parents six months prior to case closure. It also shows the cumulative totals that have been sent in each month since 30 June 2014, when the case closure process started with a low volume pathfinder approach before ramping to full volumes from September 2014. MonthNotifications Issued in MonthCumulative Number of Notifications IssuedJuly 20143,8903,890August 201419,09222,982September 201445,90368,885October 201455,193124,078November 201467,978192,056December 201450,508242,564

Children: Maintenance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 5.3 of the Government response to the 17th Report of the Public Accounts Committee, Cm 8988, what steps his Department is taking to alert Segment 1 (nil assessed) Child Support Agency clients to the fact that an estimated third of them would qualify for more child maintenance if they applied to the new statutory child maintenance scheme.

Steve Webb: The approach to communicating with clients as they go through the case closure process is to encourage them to make a new child maintenance arrangement. Our view is that in most cases it is best for clients if they can make their own arrangements outside the statutory scheme. To support this, we contact affected clients three times; twice before and once at the point their CSA arrangement ends. All of these letters encourage clients to seek support from Child Maintenance Options and discuss the right arrangement for them. We did not customise communications for nil assessed clients because we are unable to identify which clients would have a positive assessment until they apply.

Children: Maintenance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the 390 child maintenance service cases noted in Figure 5 of the Report by the National Audit Office on Child Maintenance 2012 Scheme: Early Progress, HC 173, published on 20 June 2014, what legal enforcement action has been taken in those cases; and in how many of those cases child maintenance arrears have been paid in (a) full and (b) part as a result of that action.

Steve Webb: We are not yet in a position to release full statistics on the 2012 Scheme, administered by the Child Maintenance Service, but when system data become available and fully assured they will be released as part of a managed process, which will be pre-announced and in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Shellfish

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to stop the spread of Pacific oysters; and what discussions she has had with the (a) Northern Ireland Executive and (b) other devolved administrations on that matter.

George Eustice: Biodiversity and aquaculture are devolved matters.   The Pacific oyster is commercially farmed at several locations around coasts and estuaries in Great Britain.   The Fish Health Inspectorate is responsible for authorising all Aquaculture Production Businesses in England and Wales – as part of the authorisation process they will assess biosecurity measures for the site. For example, in the case of Pacific oysters, they will consult with Natural England on the suitability of farming Pacific oysters. In addition, where a proposed Pacific oyster farm development is in a marine protected area, each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis to ensure it does not unduly impact the site’s conservation objectives.   The Secretary of State has had no discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive or other devolved administrations on this matter.

Squirrels

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect red squirrels in the UK.

George Eustice: The Government is committed to protecting and expanding red squirrel populations and tackling the threats that grey squirrels in particular pose to them.  In particular, Defra is contributing a total of £50,000 between 2014 and 2016 to research into the Squirrel Pox Vaccine that will help to secure the long term future of red squirrels in the UK.  Additionally, the Forestry Commission continues to support Red Squirrels Northern England, a partnership project between the Red Squirrel Survival Trust, Natural England, the Forestry Commission and the Wildlife Trusts, which is helping to protect and expand the biggest population of red squirrels left in England. Seventeen reserves have been identified where long-term survival of the species is considered most likely. Targeted control of grey squirrels is carried out in the reserves and surrounding buffer zones. In addition, the reserves and surrounding areas are being managed in ways that favour red squirrels. In the south of England, where there are secure populations on the Isle of Wight and Poole Harbour Islands, there is an action plan in place to respond to the appearance of grey squirrels.  In 2014 the Forestry Commission reviewed our approach to grey squirrels. As a result of the review, the Forestry Commission has updated the action plan for grey squirrels in England.

White Fish: France

George Hollingbery: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of French recreational sea bass anglers on the management of sea bass stocks.

George Eustice: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has had no recent discussions with representatives of the French recreational sea bass anglers on the management of sea bass stock.

White Fish: France

George Hollingbery: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her French counterparts on that country's policy on management of sea bass stocks.

George Eustice: I met the French Minister in the margins of the European Union Agriculture and Fisheries Council of 15-16 December 2014 to discuss key fisheries items on the Council agenda, including policy on management of sea bass stocks. My officials have met recently with counterparts from a number of Member States, including France, and with the European Commission to discuss this issue.

White Fish: Conservation

George Hollingbery: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 219112, how the review of domestic management measures for bass will engage with other government departments, stakeholders and other interested parties from outside her Department.

George Hollingbery: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 219112, when she expects the review of domestic management measures for bass to be completed.

George Hollingbery: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 219112, if she will publish a list of all the documents that the review of domestic management measures for bass will take into account.

George Hollingbery: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 219112, if she will ensure that all documents taken into account by the review of domestic management measures for bass will be published.

George Hollingbery: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 219112, what management measures will be examined in the review of domestic management measures for bass.

George Eustice: The current review of the domestic management measures for bass should be completed within the next few weeks. Aligned with work at European level to reverse the steep decline in bass stocks, the high-level review will focus principally on the need for any change to our current domestic management measures, such as the catch limits on commercial fishing for bass, minimum landing size for bass and protection of bass nursery areas. Where it is identified that action is required, this work will be further developed and, where national legislation may be required, will follow the usual legislative process. We will seek the views of key stakeholders on the way forward. Any proposed national legislation will be subject to public consultation involving stakeholders, other government departments and interested parties. The relevant documentation to support the new legislation will be made publically available, where not already published.

White Fish: Conservation

George Hollingbery: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea since the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting on 15 December 2014; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: At the meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 15-16 December 2014 the UK took fully into account the scientific advice provided beforehand by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.

Rabbits: Animal Breeding

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many rabbit farms are operating in England.

George Eustice: Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) do not conduct routine welfare inspections of rabbit farms. There is no specific requirement to register rabbit farms with APHA.

Pets: Sales

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received from animal enforcement bodies and charities on the Pet Animals Act 1951.

George Eustice: We have received representations suggesting that the Pet Animals Act 1951 could be updated in particular to deal with sale of pets on the internet and banning the sale of puppies and kittens from pet shops. Tthe Act already applies to sales of pet animals over the internet Anyone selling pets commercially from any sort of premises, whether on the high street or on-line from a private dwelling by way of example, is required to be licensed by their local authority.   The welfare of all animals sold from pet shops is provided for, not only in the provisions of the 1951 Act, but also under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which requires that all owners must provide for the welfare needs of their animals.   Guidance on the Model Conditions for Pet Vending Licensing assists local authorities with the licensing and inspection of pet shops, whether on-line or not and includes a specific section on dogs. The document was recently updated to take account of the latest welfare standards.

Home Office

HM Passport Office

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many new staff her Department is planning to recruit for employment in the Passport Office between August 2014 and August 2015.

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what forecast she has made of the number of staff that will be recruited to the Passport Office (a) on permanent contracts, (b) on fixed-term contracts and (c) through agency recruitment between August 2014 and August 2015.

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff she expects to leave the employment of the Passport Office in the year from August 2014.

James Brokenshire: Her Majesty's Passport Office (HMPO) is recruiting over 1,100 FTE staff to frontline posts. Over 620 staff are already in post or appointed and the remaining staff will be recruited by around the end of the current financial year. The majority of staff are being recruited on two year fixed contracts with an option to convert to permanent positions at the end of that period. Just over 250 staff are employed on fixed term contracts of between three and eleven months and around a further 30 will be recruited on the same terms. In addition, HMPO will be making use of around 170 temporary staff, either on a seasonal basis or by insourcing from existing suppliers. Recruitment agencies have been engaged in the recruitment programme. The recruitment levels are based on forecast demand for 2015 and 2016 and take into account existing staff exiting the organisation or moving on promotion to other than frontline posts.

Radicalism

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of cross-government expenditure on tackling extremism was spent (a) domestically and (b) internationally in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what amount was spent by all government Departments on each type of activity related to tackling extremism in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the terms of reference were of the review commissioned by the Cabinet Secretary of cross-government expenditure on tackling extremism.

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what amount was spent by each Department on tackling extremism in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish, either redacted or in full, the review commissioned by the Cabinet Secretary of cross-government expenditure on tackling extremism.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 08 January 2015



Tackling extremism is a priority for the Government, which is why we expanded the Prevent Strategy in 2010 to tackle non-violent, as well as violent, extremism. In addition, the Home Secretary has asked the Home Office to prepare a new Extremism Strategy that goes further and addresses extremism in all its forms, working with Departments and Agencies across Government. The Cabinet Secretary has not commissioned a formal review into cross-government expenditure on tackling extremism. However, normal procedures apply to tracking spending across government. We have allocated £40 million for Prevent spending in 2014 / 15 which includes work on countering extremism where it creates an environment conducive to terrorism. This is in addition to the work already undertaken by DCLG on community cohesion and integration that challenges all forms of extremism including non violent extremism. The Extremism Task Force has played a key role and, as part of the additional £130 million announced by the Prime Minister in November 2014 to strengthen the UK’s capability to combat the increased threat of terrorism, Prevent will receive further funding.

Asylum: Syria

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to encourage local authorities to participate in the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 16 January 2015



After launching the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme last January, the Home Secretary wrote to the Chairman of the Local Government Association on 11 February 2014 encouraging local authority participation and this letter has been cascaded across local authorities. As the scheme has progressed, we have continued to engage closely with local authorities who have expressed an interest in participation. Following the United NationsHigh Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) pledging conference in Genevaon 9 December 2014, a number of additional local authorities have also expressed an interest, and we are in discussions with them. We are grateful to the local authorities who are supporting the scheme, and we remain confidentthat we can continue to meet the needs of arrivals in the UK under the scheme as planned. We expect the scheme to help several hundred Syrians over three years, and we welcome further offers of support from local authorities as the scheme progresses.

Crimes of Violence: Females

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on implementation of the violence against women and girls action plan.

Lynne Featherstone: Holding answer received on 19 January 2015



The Government is committed to ending violence against women in all its forms. We published our cross-government strategy, 'A Call to End Violence Against Women and Girls' in 2010 and have published supporting action plans with updates on progress each year since 2011. We have ring-fenced nearly £40 million of stable funding up to 2015 for specialist local support services and national helplines.We have criminalised forced marriage, introduced two new stalking offences, piloted new ways of protecting the victims of domestic violence and sex workers and we have launched prevention campaigns to tackle rape and relationship abuse amongst teenagers. We recently announced a new offence of domestic abuse to tackle coercive and controlling behaviour. The 2014-2015 Action Plan details recent progress and on 8 March this year, we will publish a full progress report on the implementation of the strategy.

Immigrants: East of England

Mr David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions her Department has used police cells to hold immigrants in each police force area in (a) Suffolk, (b) Bedfordshire, (c) Cambridgeshire, (d) Essex, (e) Hertfordshire and (f) Norfolk in each year since 2004.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is not routinely collected and could be provided only by examining individual case records, which would result in disproportionate cost.

Deportation: Young People

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people under the age of 18 have been returned to (a) their country of nationality and (b) a third country by her Department in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The table below shows the removals and voluntary departures of people under 18 by destination for the 12 month period to September 2014, the latest date for which figures have been published.  Removals and voluntary departures, people aged under 18, by destination  12 months to year ending September 2014Destination: Country of nationalityDestination: OtherTotal Total enforced removals603090 Total refused entry at port and subsequently departed3707491,119 Total voluntary departures1,7765552,331  These figures are provisional and may subsequently differ when the tables are revised, due to data cleansing and data matching exercises that take place after the extracts are taken.The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK within Immigration Statistics. The data on removals and voluntary departures are readily available in the latest release, Immigration Statistics: July – September 2014, from the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.

Asylum: Syria

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will re-assess the procedures established to review the numbers of Syrians offered resettlement places in the UK as part of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme to ensure that the scheme is responsive to need.

James Brokenshire: The Government is deeply concerned about the crisis in Syria, the suffering and hardship it is causing for millions of displaced Syrians in the region, and the strain it is placing on their host countries. Given the scale of the crisis, we believe the most effective way to ensure the UK’s help has the greatest impact for displaced people and their host countries is through substantial humanitarian aid and actively seeking an end to the conflict so that refugees can return to their homes and livelihoods safely. We have committed £700 million in response to the crisis, making us the second largest bilateral donor after the USA, and UK taxpayers' money is helping to support hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the region, providing food, healthcare and essential supplies. Compared with aid, resettlement can only ever help a minority of those in need.We launched the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme to complement our humanitarian aid efforts by offering protection in the UK to some of the most vulnerable refugees, who cannot be supported effectively in the region. The scheme is based on need rather than fulfilling a quota, but we have said that we expect it to help several hundred people over three years, and we remain on track to deliver that commitment. We therefore have no current plans to change the way the scheme operates. However, we continue to monitor the situation in Syria and the surrounding region and work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict to ensure that the scheme remains responsive to need.

Police

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2015 to Question 220654, what indirect costs were incurred by her Department in connection with policing Black Friday.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has not made any specific assessment of the indirect policy costs, including managing correspondence, in connection with policing Black Friday although these will be minimal. Outside of this any indirect costs to the Home Office would be in the form of operational policing costs met from central Government funding. These costs are a matter for individual Police and Crime Commissioners and are therefore not collected centrally.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Domestic Violence

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support her Department makes available to service families experiencing, or at risk of, domestic violence.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence does not tolerate domestic violence; neither do we consider it to be a purely private matter. The Department's position is set out for all staff in a Joint Service Publication which raises awareness about our policy and the sources of help available to everyone in the Service community. This helps Service personnel who are experiencing domestic violence, or who are aware of someone else who is experiencing violence, know what to do to seek help and have the confidence to do so.In parallel, there is a comprehensive range of sources of help in place to support members of Service families who are victims of domestic violence. This includes single-Service welfare providers, specialist welfare and personnel staff, and helplines. Practical help available includes alternative service accommodation and referral to specialist services such as a refuge.We have recently released a DVD entitled "Domestic Abuse - Where to Find Help" as a resource providing information about how to seek help for those experiencing domestic abuse within the Service community. In addition, a LIBOR funded project, which is planned to be launched in March 2015, will provide a source of information on the gov.uk website about domestic abuse specifically designed for Service personnel, their families and professionals such as specialist welfare officers and social workers.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to provide care and support for members of the armed forces who have a mental illness.

Anna Soubry: We take the mental health of our personnel and veterans very seriously, and are committed to ensuring that help is available for everyone who needs it. For serving personnel, the Defence Medical Services (DMS) have in place a variety of measures to identify issues at the earliest possible opportunity. These include pre- and post-deployment briefing, and a range of professional support, assessment and treatment both during and after deployments, as well as peer-group mentoring through the Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) process.On major operations such as in Iraq and Afghanistan, we deploy mental health professionals as part of the medical team in support of our troops to provide advice and treatment. Personnel who require further treatment are referred back to the UK, where our services are configured to provide community-based mental healthcare in line with national best practice. This care is delivered primarily through unit-based primary healthcare centres and our network of 16 military Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs) across the UK (plus centres overseas), where the DMS have developed a significant capability in managing traumatic stress conditions. Patient care, when required, is available through a contract with a group of eight specialist NHS Trusts across the UK.

Army: Northern Ireland

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many community grant applications have been received from HQ 38 (Irish) Brigade in Northern Ireland; how many such applications were successful; and how much was disbursed in respect of those applications in each year since the inception of that scheme.

Anna Soubry: The first community grant application from HQ 38 (Irish) Brigade was submitted in January 2015. There have been no previous applications submitted because there have been no Community Covenants signed in Northern Ireland.Despite this, good progress has been made on Covenant issues during 2014 with nearly all of the measures in the Covenant now extending to Northern Ireland. HQ 38 (Irish) Brigade provides a focus for taking Covenant issues forward in the region. The Armed Forces Covenant annual report, laid before the House on 16 December 2014, highlights this progress. I am planning to visit Northern Ireland soon, and I will take the opportunity to see for myself the progress that has been made and its effect on the Armed Forces Community in the Province.We will continue to engage with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that the needs of the Armed Forces community are met.

NATO

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Written Answer of 12 January 2015 to Question 219725, which UK officials will attend the MQ-9 Users Group meeting.

Mr Mark Francois: Five members of the Royal Air Force (RAF) will attend the MQ-9 Users Group meeting in Paris in January 2015. The party will be made up of representatives from the RAF's ISTAR HQ, which is located at RAF Waddington, HQ Air Command and the Air Staff.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2014 to Question 213733, if he will seek the agreement of the US administration to release a copy of the current revised Reaper Agreement.

Mr Mark Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 November 2014 to Question 213733. We will discuss possible release with the US once the Memorandum Of Understanding has been agreed and finalised.



213733 - QnA extract on Unmanned Air Vehicles
(Word Document, 24 KB)

Gurkhas

Damian Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects his Department to respond to the recommendations of the 2014 report of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gurkha Welfare.

Anna Soubry: The Government is very grateful to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gurkha Welfare for their comprehensive report into historic Gurkha grievances. This report raised a number of issues, which the Government has been examining closely. Our response will be published shortly.

Veterans: Hearing Impairment

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to support veterans with industrial deafness.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Veterans: Hearing Impairment

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veterans suffer from industrial deafness.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Forces: Drugs

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people serving in the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Royal Marines, (c) Royal Air Force and (d) Army were convicted of (i) possession of and (ii) supplying illegal drugs in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

HM Treasury

European Space Agency

Mr Iain Wright: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills regarding UK financial commitments to the European Space Agency.

Danny Alexander: I can confirm that at the December 2014 ESA Council of Ministers the Government successfully negotiated a £226m funding package for ESA programmes and, to enable this, the Chancellor agreed at Autumn Statement to provide £55m of new funding to the department for Business Innovation and Skills in 2015/16.The package includes the UK taking the operational lead for first European rover mission to Mars, a further 6 years membership to the International Space Station and the leverage of significant industry investment into the UK’s satellite telecommunications sector.

Financial Services

Greg Mulholland: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on removing the compensation limit set by the Financial Services Ombudsman.

Andrea Leadsom: The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 provides for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to determine the level of the Financial Ombudsman Service compensation limit.   This is a matter for the FCA, who are operationally independent from Government. The question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to the honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Financial Services

Greg Mulholland: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses were instructed by the Financial Services Ombudsman to award consumers the maximum compensation of £150,000 in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014.

Greg Mulholland: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses were recommended by the Financial Services Ombudsman to award consumers fair compensation above the £100,000 limit in each year from 2001 to 2011.

Greg Mulholland: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses were recommended by the Financial Services Ombudsman to award consumers fair compensation above the £150,000 limit in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014.

Greg Mulholland: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses were ordered by the Financial Services Ombudsman to award consumers fair compensation up to the £100,000 limit in each year from 2001 to 2011.

Andrea Leadsom: The issues raised are a matter for the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) who are operationally independent from Government.   These questions have been passed on to the FOS. The FOS will reply directly to the honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Public Expenditure

John Hemming: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) UK total managed expenditure in nominal sterling, (b) gross domestic product in nominal sterling and (c) percentage total managed expenditure is expressed as a percentage of the gross domestic product; and what the reasons are for the variances from the Public Expenditure Statistical analysis published by his Department in 2014.

Danny Alexander: All these data are available from the Office for Budget Responsibility’s databank, including the Office for National Statistics outturn data (published 22nd November 2014) and the Office for Budget Responsibility’s independent forecast (consistent with the Economic and Fiscal Outlook December 2014 and the Autumn Statement 2014). UK Total Managed Expenditure in nominal sterling.   2009-102010-112011-122012-132013-14 TME outturn (£bn)680.6700.9701.2717.9719.9 2014-152015-162016-172017-182018-192019-20TME forecast (£bn)737.1746.2746.7751.3765.3779.9   Gross Domestic Product in nominal sterling.   2009-102010-112011-122012-132013-14 Nominal GDP outturn (£bn)1501.71,576.21,628.51,663.21,733.0 2014-152015-162016-172017-182018-192019-20Nominal GDP forecast (£bn)1,822.01,888.01,956.02,038.02,124.02,215.0 Total Managed Expenditure expressed as a percentage of the gross domestic product.   2009-102010-112011-122012-132013-14 TME outturn (%GDP)45.344.543.143.241.5 2014-152015-162016-172017-182018-192019-20TME forecast (%GDP)40.539.538.236.936.035.2 Variances when comparing the most up to date figures set out above against the Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis (command paper) are due to these figures including the latest outturn data, incorporating the latest forecast judgement by the Office for Budget Responsibility and the latest classification changes made by the Office for National Statistics.   Since the Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis was published in July 2014 the Office for Budget Responsibility has published their latest forecast in their December 2014 Economic and Fiscal Outlook. The Office for National Statistics regularly update outturn, at a various points in the year, for total managed expenditure and gross domestic product.

Public Expenditure

Mary Creagh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total amount of non-fiscal spending in each year from 2009-10 to 2014-15 is (a) in real terms and (b) as a proportion of total government spending.

Mary Creagh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's non-fiscal spend was in real terms in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13, (e) 2013-14 and (f) 2014-15.

Mary Creagh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how his Department defines non-fiscal spend.

Danny Alexander: “Non-fiscal spend” is not a formal term in the UK National Accounting framework. It is sometimes used to refer to items of public expenditure, which although included in departmental budgets, are either not classified as spending in the National Accounts or use a different source.

Air Passenger Duty

Dr William McCrea: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his policy completely to abolish air passenger duty.

Priti Patel: Air Passenger Duty (APD) remains an important contributor to the public finances.   However, as a key part of this government’s long term economic plan, the Chancellor has taken action on APD.   In 2015-16, over ninety-nine per cent of passengers, including many families, are set to see a freeze or reduction in rates.  Budget 2014 announced a freeze in the rate of APD for short-haul international and domestic flights for a fourth year running. In addition Budget 2014 reforms APD with the abolition of bands C and D from 1 April 2015. This will cut tax for passengers travelling to destinations such as Brazil, India, China, South Asia and the Caribbean.   Autumn Statement 2014 also announced an APD exemption for children under 12 on economy tickets, with effect from 1 May 2015. From the following year, the Government will abolish economy ticket APD for children under 16 altogether. This will save a two child family £26 on economy short-haul flights and £142 on economy long-haul flights, plus adds to Budget 2014’s adult fare savings for families flying economy to destinations like the Caribbean and Australia, taking accumulative savings to £170 and £194 respectively.

Investment Income: Taxation

Pamela Nash: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was raised from taxes on dividend income in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) England, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland in each year from 2010.

Mr David Gauke: Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes statistics on income tax liabilities on dividend income in Table 2.6 of the HMRC National Statistics series. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/306833/Table_2.6.pdf

Self-employed: Tax Avoidance

Pamela Nash: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many IR35 status enquiries HM Revenue and Customs has made in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) England, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Pamela Nash: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many enforcement actions in respect of IR35 legislation there have been in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) England, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland in each year since 2010.

Mr David Gauke: Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) carries out IR35 status enquiries by way of compliance interventions. The table below shows the number of interventions up to 2013/14. Regional data is not produced by HMRC.   YearCompliance interventions2009/10122010/11232011/12592012/132562013/14192

Offshore Industry: PAYE

Grahame M. Morris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations he has received on the PAYE status of (a) divers and (b) diving supervisors working in the offshore energy industry.

Mr David Gauke: The Chancellor receives a large variety of representations from a wide range of people.

Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme

Cathy Jamieson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what involvement his Department has in monitoring the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department collects on the operation by lenders of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what date (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department became aware of the allegations of misselling in relation to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills about investigation of allegations of misselling to businesses by lenders relating to loans made under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with (i) participating lenders (ii) business organisations at which allegations of misselling relating to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme were discussed.

Andrea Leadsom: HM Treasury does not have responsibility for the monitoring of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has policy responsibility for the scheme and is the sole shareholder of the British Business Bank (BBB), which administers the scheme for BIS. The BBB monitors the scheme and collects information on lenders’ performance. HM Treasury does not collect this information.HM Treasury was made aware of mis-selling concerns in relation to the operation of the scheme by RBS in February 2014 when allegations of mis-selling were first made. BIS intensified its oversight of the scheme and the wider problems at RBS that are now in the public domain were subsequently uncovered. BIS have kept HMT officials informed of their progress.The Chancellor and the Secretary of State for BIS have regular discussions about a wide range of issues, including about Government funding schemes where necessary.HM Treasury ministers and officials hold meetings with external organisations in the normal course of business to discuss a wide range of issues relating to financial services, which would from time to time include those lenders participating in the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme. In line with the Government’s aim of making this process transparent, the full list of meetings between Treasury ministers and external organisations is published online at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel. It would not be appropriate to disclose the contents of those meetings.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Sellafield

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Written Statement HCWS183 of 13 January 2015, on Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, what estimate he has made of the costs to the public purse of the removal of Nuclear Management Partners as the management of Sellafield and their replacement with a new management structure; and whether these costs will be paid from his Department's budget.

Matthew Hancock: Contractural termination costs will be determined based upon the terms of the contract with Nuclear Management Partners. The precise terms of the contract are commercially confidential but these costs will equate to approximately one per cent of average annual fee. They will be funded from the annual site funding allocated to Sellafield Limited by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, whose overall budget forms a part of the Department’s budget.

Staff

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last five years.

Amber Rudd: Holding answer received on 19 January 2015



The majority of expenditure with recruitment agencies represents payment to the individuals employed. We are unable to separately identify the element retained by the recruitment agency as fees. This varies from case to case and the Department contracts on the basis of a total hourly or daily fee. The recruitment principles published by the Civil Service Commission specify the circumstances when appointments may be made otherwise. Further information about the work of the Civil Service Commissioners can be found at www.civilservicecommissioners.orgThe Department made payment to an outplacement agency in 2014-15 only. Prior to using the outplacement agency, the Department used the Civil Service Transition Service to provide career counselling redeployment support with no associated costs to the Department.Figures for 2009 -10 to 2013-14 for staff training are published in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Nuclear Power Stations

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to page 45 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts for 2012-13, what proportion of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's budget was spent on decommissioning and cleaning up nuclear plants in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.

Matthew Hancock: As defined for the purposes of the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s Annual Report and Accounts, the proportion of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s expenditure through its Site Licence Companies that was used for decommissioning was 35% in both 2012-13 and 2013-14. The remainder of this budget was spent on waste and nuclear materials management, commercial operations and support costs.

Nuclear Power Stations

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's budget he expects to be spent on decommissioning and cleaning up nuclear plants in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

Matthew Hancock: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority expects the proportion of its expenditure through its Site Licence Companies that is used for decommissioning, as defined for the purposes of the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s Annual Report and Accounts, to be 37% in 2014-15 and 41% in 2015-16. The remainder of this budget will be spent on waste and nuclear materials management, commercial operations and support costs.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's Site Licence Companies spent on support and overhead costs in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14.

Matthew Hancock: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s expenditure on support costs, as defined for the purposes of the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s Annual Report and Accounts, was £739m in 2010-11, £800m in 2011-12, £801m in 2012-13 and £814m in 2013-14. The definition includes research and technology, IT, security, facilities, programme management, procurement, human resources, finance, head-office costs, EHS&Q (environment, health safety and quality), regulatory engagement and communications.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's Site Licence Companies plan to spend on support and overhead costs in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

Matthew Hancock: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority expects to spend £970m in 2014-15 and £918m in 2015-16 on support costs, as defined for the purposes of the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s Annual Report and Accounts. The definition includes research and technology, IT, security, facilities, programme management, procurement, human resources, finance, head-office costs, EHS&Q (environment, health safety and quality), regulatory engagement and communications.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's Site Licence Companies were awarded in efficiency fees and support and overhead cost reduction fees in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14.

Matthew Hancock: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority paid its Site Licence Companies total efficiency fees, including support and overhead cost reduction fees where applicable, of £29.6m in 2010-11, £32.2m in 2011-12, £18.4m in 2012-13 and £16.0m in 2013-14.

Fracking: Northamptonshire

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether his Department has received any expression of interest in pursuing shale gas development and exploration in (a) Northamptonshire and (b) the borough of Kettering.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 20 January 2015



There are currently no petroleum licences in effect in any part of Northamptonshire. We launched a new round of onshore licensing last year and received applications in October. I cannot comment on the nature of the bids or the locations for which plans might be being considered while DECC’s assessment of the applications continues. However we are aiming to be in a position to announce licence offers shortly.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what reports he has received of abuses of the non-domestic renewable heat incentive scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Amber Rudd: Since the non-domestic RHI scheme was launched in November 2013 there has only been one confirmed case of fraud. This case was identified as suspected fraud by Ofgem in February 2013 during the application review process, i.e. the installation was never accredited to the scheme. As a result, the installation was in breach of an eligibility requirement of the non-domestic RHI, and the party was required to pay a fine and court costs to the value of approximately £1,200.Ofgem E-Serve’s Counter Fraud Team continue to investigate and manage suspected cases of scheme abuse, misuse or fraud.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many overpayments have been made under the non-domestic renewable heat incentive scheme; and how many overpayments have been recovered.

Amber Rudd: There have been 32 recorded instances (from scheme start to date) where participants have made errors in meter readings that were not picked up until some payment had been made. All of these overpayments were recovered.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the value is of (a) overpayments made, (b) overpayments recovered and (c) outstanding payments under the non-domestic renewable heat incentive scheme.

Amber Rudd: Ofgem estimate that across the entire Non Domestic RHI the value of overpayments represents a maximum of 0.7% of total payments for 2013/14. However, given that audits are selected based on the greatest risk, the actual financial impact is expected to be considerably lower.It is not possible to pinpoint the exact value of outstanding payments under the Non Domestic RHI as the scheme is still open for applications and pays a tariff over a 20 year period.

Cabinet Office

General Election 2015

Chris Bryant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the period of purdah prior to the 2015 General Election will begin.

Mr Francis Maude: Pre-election purdah will begin on 30 March 2015.

Government Departments: Procurement

Pamela Nash: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many individuals or small and medium-sized enterprises contracting with, or providing consultancy services to, Government departments have been paid daily fees greater than £100 in the last five years.

Mr Francis Maude: The information is not held centrally.As a result of this Government’s commercial reforms, by limiting expenditure on marketing and advertising, consultants and temporary agency staff, we have saved the taxpayer £870m in 2010-11; £1bn in 2011-12; £1.9bn in 2012-13; and £2bn in 2013-14 – all against a 2009-10 baseline.

Cybercrime

Mr David Davis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance he has issued to (a) businesses, (b) organisations and (c) individuals on methods of encryption to protect against malicious cyber-attacks while allowing the security services access to data.

Mr Francis Maude: The National Cyber Security Programme has put in place initiatives to provide a range of advice and guidance to organisations and individuals on protecting themselves against cyber threats. CESG (GCHQ’s information security arm) and the Cyberstreetwise and Get Safe Online campaigns all provide advice to businesses and individuals on the use of encryption to combat cyber crime and protect personal and financial information.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Big Society Network

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2014 to Question 212813, what the cost to the public purse was of his Department's provision of its office space to the Big Society Network from 28 July 2010 to 26 November 2010.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2014 to Question 212813, for what purpose the Big Society Network used the office space provided by his Department.

Mrs Helen Grant: DCMS provided some vacant office space at 179A Tottenham Court Road to the Big Society Network from 28/7/2010 to 26/11/2010, while the Department was seeking a commercial sub-tenant. As the space was unused but waiting to be let no additional costs were incurred to the public purse. The Department also loaned the BSN 5 PCs and a printer and made available access to the wifi connection. Again no additional costs were incurrred to the public purse and BSN did not have access to DCMS systems. The office space was used by BSN for office use.

Sports: Surrey

Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of adults in (a) Woking constituency and (b) Surrey who have taken part in at least one sporting activity each week in each of the last five years.

Mrs Helen Grant: Sport participation data is from the Active People Survey, which is the main measure of the number of people aged 16 and above taking part in sport in England. The 2013/14 data will be released 29 January 2015.  WokingSurrey2012/13 (APS7)n/a¹376,000 (40.8%)2011/12 (APS6)n/a¹375,800 (41%)2010/11 (APS5)n/a¹367,400 (40.3%)2009/10 (APS4)n/a¹371,000 (41.3)  ¹Sample size too small to provide figure

Broadband: Surrey

Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the proportion of households with access to high speed broadband in (a) Woking constituency and (b) Surrey in each of the last five years.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Ofcom is responsible the regulation of the UK broadband market and monitors and publishes broadband coverage data in its annual Infrastructure Report.Ofcom’s 2014 report indicated an increasing level NGA coverage in Surrey since 2011, as set out below: Premises with NGA network coverage201177%201280%201385%201493%  Ofcom does not, however, publish data by constituency, but it has published data by postcode at http://infrastructure.ofcom.org.uk/ and http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/research/ir/Fixed_postcode.zip.

Wales Office

Transport

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps he is taking to improve transport links between Wales and England.

Stephen Crabb: Infrastructure investment is at the heart of our long term economic plan for Wales. We have worked hard to secure the full South Wales electrification package and pushed through the financial deal to upgrade the M4.After decades of under investment by previous governments, we are determined that the people in Wales benefit from our commitment to bring modern transport infrastructure to everyone.

Transport

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on improving transport links to Wales.

Stephen Crabb: This Government has secured electrification of the Great Western Main Line all the way to Swansea – ensuring faster journey times and increased capacity on cross-border services.The UK Government’s transformative rail investment and additional economic resources allocated to the Welsh Government are making Wales a more attractive place to invest.

Broadband

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the progress of the roll-out of superfast broadband in Wales.

Stephen Crabb: It is a priority of this Government to invest in broadband infrastructure, linking communities right across Wales.Since 2010, 293,000 homes and businesses have been connected to superfast broadband in Wales.

Department of Health

Pregnancy: Mental Health Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the oral Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health of 13 January 2015, Official Report, HC Deb column 703, on mental health care (pregnant women), if he will publish his Department's plans and the funding committed for ensuring that every maternity unit has staff specially trained in perinatal mental health skills by 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Improving diagnosis and services for women with pregnancy-related mental health problems is one of the Department's priorities for maternity care.   ‘Closing the gap: priorities for essential change in mental health’, published in January 2014, sets out the Government’s plans to ensure new mothers receive better support so that the incidence and impact of perinatal mental health problems can be reduced.   The Government’s Mandate to Health Education England (HEE) from April 2014 to March 2015 asks HEE to ensure post-registration training in perinatal mental health to ensure that trained specialist mental health staff are available to support mothers in every birthing unit by 2017.   To meet this mandate commitment, HEE, in conjunction with the Institute of Health Visiting, has developed three e-learning modules specifically covering topics such as perinatal depression and other maternal mental health disorders. The modules have been designed specifically for nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff. HEE is continuing to work to ensure midwives in training have a core training module focusing on perinatal mental health and to develop a continuing professional education framework for the existing maternity and early years workforce in 2015.   HEE’s 13 Local Education and Training Boards are taking forward the commitment locally to ensure that every maternity unit has staff specially trained in perinatal mental health skills. HEE has advised that information on the funding committed is not collected centrally.

Malnutrition

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients with diseases relating to malnutrition were treated in the NHS in each year since 2005.

Jane Ellison: Information is not available in the format requested.

Children: Nutrition

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on preventing unhealthy eating among children of primary school age.

Jane Ellison: No recent formal discussions with Department for Education (DfE) Ministers have taken place on preventing unhealthy eating among children of primary school age.   Department of Health and DfE Ministers have discussed the issue informally and officials meet regularly to discuss progress on delivering of the School Food Plan.

Sleep Apnoea

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of waiting times between diagnosis and treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea for people who drive for a living.

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for continuous positive airways pressure therapy for those diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea.

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will introduce a fast track service for continous positive airways pressure therapy for people who drive for a living.

Jane Ellison: Local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for assessing the needs of their local populations and for commissioning services to meet those needs. For patients with obstructive sleep apnoea, NHS England expects CCGs to take into account the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines when deciding what services should be made available.   NICE has published technology appraisal guidance which recommends the use of continuous positive airway pressure as a treatment option for adults with moderate or severe symptomatic obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome, where certain criteria are met.   NICE has been commissioned to develop a quality standard on sleep disordered breathing and will in due course consider which conditions will be covered under the scope of the quality standard and the need for associated clinical guidance.   There are currently no special provisions for people with sleep apnoea who drive for a living, but this will be considered as part of the guideline.   Individuals diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea and who are waiting for continuous positive airways pressure therapy are prioritised according to clinical need.   We do not collect information centrally on the time people wait between diagnosis and treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea. The Referral to Treatment operational standards state that 90% admitted and 95% of non-admitted patients should start consultant-led treatment within 18 weeks of referral. In order to sustain delivery of these standards, 92% of patients who have not yet started treatment should have been waiting no more than 18 weeks. Whilst individual National Health Service organisations are monitored on their performance in this area, obstructive sleep apnoea is not separately identified.

Respiratory System: Diseases

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport constituency have been diagnosed with chest infections in 2014.

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with chest infections in 2014.

Jane Ellison: There is no national system currently for collecting data relating to diagnoses of chest infections specifically. However, we are able to provide the latest data on patients admitted to hospital with two of the infections that are relevant, namely upper respiratory tract infections and lower respiratory tract infections. These are provided in the table below. The data do not include infections treated by general practitioner practices.   In terms of information on chest infections in Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport, data collections systems do not exist to provide the requested data at constituency level.   Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) for England. Inpatient Statistics 2012/13 for England.   Summary codePrimary diagnosis and descriptionFinished consultant episodesJ00-J06Acute upper respiratory infections138,673J20-J22Other acute lower respiratory infections192,271 Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre. HES.   Note:  A “finished consultant episode” is an inpatient or day case episode where the patient has completed a period of care under a consultant and is either transferred to another consultant or discharged.

Radiotherapy: Easington

Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients in Easington constituency have received treatment using advanced stereotactic radiotherapy in each year since 2010.

Jane Ellison: The information requested is shown in the following table.   Finished Consultant Episodes (FCE)1 with a Main or Secondary Operative Procedure2 of stereotactic radiosurgery on the tissue of the brain, where the clinical commissioning group (CCG) of residence is Durham Dales, Easington and Sedgefield3 for each of the last three years (2010-11 to 2012-13)4  YearCount of FCEs2010-1192011-12*2012-138  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre   1 Finished Consultant EpisodeA FCE is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year.2 Number of episodes with a main or secondary procedureThe number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 procedure fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field of the record. Note that more procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure. For example, patients undergoing a ‘cataract operation’ would tend to have at least two procedures – removal of the faulty lens and the fitting of a new one – counted in a single episode.OPCS code used: A10.7 Stereotactic radiosurgery on tissue of the brain. 3 CCG of residenceThe CCG containing the patient’s normal home address. This does not necessarily reflect where the patient was treated as they may have travelled to another area for treatment.4 Assessing growth through time (Inpatients)Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care.Small numbersTo protect patient confidentiality, figures between 1 and 5 have been replaced with “*” (an asterisk). Where it was still possible to identify figures from the total, additional figures have been replaced with "*". Where the symbol "-" (dash) appears this represents the absence of data.It should be noted that HES disclosure control rules only apply to 'known' values, e.g. small numbers where the age is unknown do not need to be replaced with "*".

Radiotherapy: North East

Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had on improving access to advanced stereotactic radiotherapy for patients in the North East of England.

Jane Ellison: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State meets NHS England regularly to discuss a wide range of issues, including access to cancer treatment.

Cancer: Drugs

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans NHS England has to respond to patient groups and charities who are concerned about the removal of clinically effective drugs from the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps NHS England plans to take to ensure that patients and clinicians are aware of the drugs delisted from the Cancer Drugs Fund as announced on 12 January 2015.

George Freeman: NHS England has advised that a meeting with patient groups and charities was held on 19 January 2015 to provide the context for the changes being made to the national Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) list, how the review was undertaken by the CDF clinical panel and the results. Attendees had the opportunity to ask questions to provide further clarity.   Information on the outcomes from the review is available on NHS England’s website at:   www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf   and has been circulated to NHS England networks. Clinicians are also being informed via the regional CDF teams.

Assets

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much each surplus building and piece of land owned by his Department is worth; where each such building and piece of land is located; and which such building and piece of land he intends to dispose of.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Department owns the following sites, which are deemed surplus to requirements and are earmarked for sale. Valuations are shown, where they are available and appropriate to disclose; values have been excluded where disclosure could potentially compromise commercial negotiations. For the remainder of the sites, valuations have not yet been made.   In addition to these sites, the Department retained ownership of several strips of land adjoining sites previously sold where benefit from future development may be gained. Decisions on these retained ”ransom strips” are made as and when development on the adjoining areas is proposed.   Site and LocationValueNorthern Land at Ashton Rd, LancasterBeing determinedLand at Peasley Cross, St HelensUnder negotiationLand at Rooley Avenue, BradfordBeing determinedLeeds, Former St Mary's HospitalNominalEast Midlands Strip of land at Darklands Road, Swadlincote, DerbyshireBeing determinedWarwick Cottage, Ankle Hill, Melton MowbrayCommercial in confidenceBurial Grounds, South Rauceby, Nr SleafordNil valueWest Midlands Land at Eaves Lane, Bucknall, adjoining Bucknall Hospital.Commercial in confidenceLand adjoining Princess Royal Hospital, Telford.£200,000Land at Somerby Drive, Shrewsbury - adjoining Shelton HospitalCommercial in confidenceLand at Racecourse Lane, ShrewsburyBeing determinedEastern Land at Harp Close Meadow, Waldingfield Road, Sudbury, SuffolkCommercial in confidenceKingsley Green, Radlett, Herts.Commercial in confidenceLittle Plumstead, Norfolk Phase 2£2,575,000Land at Mollands Lane, South Ockendon, EssexNominalMeacham Clinic, Stratford Rd, Wolverton. Milton Keynes£380,000Ropewalk House, 32 Kings Lane, St Neots£252,000London 15 Ambleside, Streatham£529,50067 Warwick Road, Kensington£1,222,000Hazel Court, St John's Hill, Battersea£1,672,000Edward Wilson House, BatterseaBeing determinedN3 Site - Carlton Gate, Elmfield Way, London W9Being determinedSouth East Stoke Mandeville Bucks. StadiumNilSt Michael's Hospice, BasingstokeCommercial in confidenceLand at Bob Dunn Way, Dartford£850,000Abbey Road, IlfordBeing determinedSouth West Oaklands, Plymouth£250,000Halcyon House, PlymouthCommercial in confidenceFarm Lane House, Plymouth£226,250Land at the rear of 3 & 5 Spurfield Cottages, ExminsterCommercial in confidenceLand to rear of 1-4 Farm Lane cottages, ExminsterBeing determined - dependent on planning.

Health: Children

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the success and cost-effectiveness of the (a) Healthy Child Programme and (b) Healthy Start Programme.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Healthy Child Programme is the key evidence based, universal public health service for improving the health and wellbeing of children, through health and development reviews, health promotion, parenting support, screening and immunisation programmes.   The programme has a strong evidence base, which is set out in Health for All Children (Hall and Elliman, 2006). To ensure the programme continues to promote best practice, Public Health England are leading a rapid review of the evidence base for the Healthy Child Programme for 0 to 5 year olds, which will be published later this year.   Healthy Start is a means-tested, United Kingdom-wide government scheme that offers a nutritional safety net for pregnant women and children under four in low income families by providing them with weekly vouchers to put towards the cost of milk, formula milk, fruit and vegetables, and free vitamin supplements. The delivery costs for this year for Healthy Start throughout the UK (vouchers, vitamins and administration) is expected to be around £85 million, with 90% of vouchers redeemed.   The Department commissioned a formal evaluation of the Healthy Start scheme, published in March 2013. This considered the experiences of Scheme users and the effectiveness of the Scheme at delivering against its stated purpose. The results of this evaluation can be found at:   http://www.bristol.ac.uk/media-library/sites/sps/migrated/documents/finalreport2.pdf

NHS Property Services

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much NHS Property Services spent on (a) redundancy payments to staff, (b) temporary staff and (c) external consultants in each year since it was established.

Dr Daniel Poulter: As part of the national restructuring and improvement process in how the NHS Estate is managed, NHS Property Services was created in 2013. NHS Property Services (NHSPS) inherited a chaotically managed NHS Estate from primary care trusts and strategic health authorities and has spent the past 21 months restructuring and reducing unnecessary administration and back office costs. As a result, to date, in order to reduce ongoing bureaucratic and back office costs, NHSPS has spent £14 million on redundancy costs for 197 staff as part of its business redesign programme. Changes and reforms to staffing at NHSPS have resulted in ongoing annual savings of £7 million. ‘Claw back’ provisions for redundancy pay apply to staff who leave under voluntary redundancy and are re-employed by the same or another NHS employer within six months; and to staff who leave under compulsory redundancy and are re-employed by the same or another NHS employer within four weeks.   The total spend by NHSPS on temporary management/office staff during 2013-14 was £10.6 million.   Spend on external consultants is not separated out in NHSPS’s ledgers from spend on legal and other professional services within the NHSPS budget. In total, NHSPS spent £14.3 million on external legal, professional and other consultancy services in 2013-14.

NHS Property Services

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much NHS Property Services has paid Jo Stones and Vince Lammas for consultancy services; and how their services were procured.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Vincent Lammas and Jo Stones were appointed under a contract with Attractor Consulting to work for NHS Property Services (NHSPS). The contract began prior to the operational date of NHSPS on 1 April 2013 and involved supporting the company to prepare its Human Resources, Payroll and Pension functions in preparation for taking on the employment of approximately 3,000 staff from the National Health Service upon the abolition of primary care trusts (PCTs). The contract ended in October 2014. NHSPS paid Attractor Consulting a total of £227,760 in 2013-14 and £123,360 in 2014-15, excluding VAT.   Attractor were selected on the basis of professional reputation given the urgency of the task and were retained after the operational date in order to maintain continuity, expertise and knowledge of the systems and company.

Family Nurse Partnership Programme

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many families have received assistance from the Family Nurse Partnership in each year since the inception of the scheme; and what plans he has to continue to expand provision.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) programme in England began in 2007. The table below shows the numbers of clients enrolled on the programme each year since its inception. In total, over 20,000 young women have been enrolled on the programme since 2007. Number of women active and enrolled on FNP programme, by year Year (January – December)Ever active in year (clients)Newly enrolled in year (clients)Cumulative total ever enrolled (clients)20071,0011,0011,00120081,2694361,43720092,9091,8793,31620105,4583,0666,38220116,1601,7958,17720128,4033,89912,07620139,2674,37416,450201412,135*4,240*20,690* * 2014 subject to finalisation Source: FNP National Unit   The Government is committed to increasing the number of places on the FNP programme to 16,000. In April 2014, there were 13,000 places available. We are on track to meet the commitment of 16,000 places by April 2015.

NHS: Databases

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department issues to NHS trusts on the sharing with children's centres (a) the names and addresses of new parents and (b) other live birth data.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Statutory guidance on children’s centres (Department for Education (DfE), April 2013) states:   Health services and local authorities should share information (such as live birth data and data on families with children under five who have recently moved into the area) effectively with children’s centres and any other early years outreach services it may operate on a regular basis.   A joint statement issued by DfE and the Department of Health states:   The Department of Health is working with partners such as the Health and Social Care Information Centre, Public Health England and NHS England to explore the practical issues involved in providing regular and timely updates of bulk data on live births to local authorities. Work is focused on considering the legal and practical implications of how this might best be achieved and further information will be made available in due course.